Respected sir/mam I am 19 years old and diagnosed with OCD. Whenever I do masturbation I feel to clean all the things which came in my contact during masturbation for eg. Bedsheets, pillow covers etc. I wanted to ask you that is it necessary for me to clean everything or its my ocd that is telling me to do so. Because of this cleaning, a lot of my study time is wasted. I am a student preparing for neat and have taken a drop to prepare for the exam. I masturbate two to three times in a month. I request you to please tell me that should I quit masturbation totally or not. Please also tell me that will masturbation have a negative impact in my neet (ug) preparation. I request you to please help me to get out of this issue. Thank you.

Mr. Rajan PPsychologist32yrs exp

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Dear Lybrate user! relax. First thing that you have to understand is masturbatory habit is very very normal for your age group. Moreover, 2-3 times a month indicates you have a good control over that practice. In fact, it is a natural alternative outlet to quell the sexual urges in a safest way. But everything has a limitation. No doubt, 2-3 times a month or weekly once can do no harm in anyway to your health/studies. If you are diagnosed with ocd by a psychiatrist/psychologist, you better get treatment for it. And one more thing is, human semen doesn't cause any infection or pollution. You can contact me through Lybrate's private consultation if you need more help.  

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Mr. Saul PereiraPsychologist52yrs exp

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lybrate-user, you are troubling yourself unnecessarily. Masturbation is not at all a problem nor will it affect your exams or life. Even the frequency is not a problem. Only those who are addicted to it can be affected by it. You are obviously not dealing with a fear that may have its origins in childhood and that is making you focus unduly on hygiene in particular. Now it has led to a full-fledged ocd and that can be crippling. I recommend that you seek the help of a counselor pronto. This is a fear-based condition and for some reason you have not been dealing with this childhood fear which has now developed unto these repetitive adaptations to seem to need it for normal functioning. The behavior will then become based on magical thinking and certain rituals will become necessary to do normal things making you believe that either the frequency or the ritual is important to its success. This of course is a fallacy but there will come a time that even if told the truth, your belief will defy any logic and you will continue behaving like that even if it cripples you in your daily routines. It only appears as though some other force is behind these behaviors and that you are compelled to act in this fashion. That is obviously not true but no one can convince you of anything different. The obsession is a repeating thought pattern with no meaningful outcome; and the compulsiveness is the need to act on those obsessions also in a repeated behavior pattern as though you just cannot help yourself. This is all driven by fear and when you are frustrated with it, you will escalate anger over it. Doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, and lack of firm memory will all plague you and increase stress. There are certain behavioral techniques to be implemented and if they work you may get out of this condition rather easily. If that does not work as desired, then medication has to be introduced, and in combination with counseling much work can be achieved.  

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Ms. Rashi AhujaPsychologist12yrs exp

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Hi! firstly, it is normal to have physical needs and the desire to satisfy them. While having the desire to satisfy these needs in moderation is okay, overdoing it can be bit of a concern that needs to be addressed. In order to deal with those anxiety-provoking thoughts, you could perhaps practice deep breathing for a few minutes. This would help you relax and calm your mind. You could also try writing your thoughts and maintain a journal. If you feel that this habit of yours is interfering with your studies and daily functioning, it would be wise to share the same with your doctor. I also wanted to check with you if you have been taking medication for the same. Please feel free to share your response. It is advisable to seek therapy along with medication for thought-related disorders. And if you are still having trouble managing your thoughts, I would suggest you to reach out to us.  

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